In the Arms of my Hero
by WeatherWriter
Summary: "Nightmares" from Mike's point of view.


I have been on a writing spree lately! Since I had an unexpected day off, I decided to spend it writing. Here is another fic in Mike's point of view. It is based off of my other fic, "Nightmares."

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

The doctor comes in and wakes me up. He tells me that a sketch artist will be coming in soon to talk to me. I let out a sigh. I don't want to talk about yesterday. I stare at the ceiling until I hear footsteps coming toward my room.

Ryan walks in. I let out a sigh of relief. I still don't want to talk to the sketch artist, but at least I'm not alone.

"How do you feel?" Ryan asks me.

"Like I got hit by a bus," I reply.

That is the truth. I feel terrible. I'm on a lot of medication, but my head and side still hurt, and I'm nauseous.

"Well, you look better than you did yesterday," he tells me.

I'm sure he said that just to lighten the mood. I haven't seen myself in the mirror since yesterday morning, but I'm sure it's not a pretty site.

"I heard that a sketch artist is coming in today," I tell Ryan.

"Yes. She should be coming in sometime soon," he says. "That's one of the reasons I took today off."

"That means a lot, Ryan. I'm glad I don't have to do this alone."

Ryan gives my shoulder a light squeeze. I try to smile as best I can.

My smile quickly fades as I hear footsteps coming toward my room again. A blond-haired young woman with a sketch pad walks into the room.

"Hello, I'm Hillary," she says. "I'm the sketch artist."

"Hi," I quietly say.

"Are you up for giving me some details?" she asks.

I nod my head. I really don't want to do this, but if it means they will catch Roderick, I might as well tell them what I remember.

"We know what Charlie and Louise look like, but we need the details on Roderick," she explains to me. "Take all the time you need to explain."

I take a deep breath. Ryan places his hand on my shoulder. I describe Roderick to Hillary. Her pencil moves rapidly across a sheet of her sketch pad. I feel uneasy when I remember what Roderick said to me, but Ryan keeps his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently when the tears come to my eyes. Hillary is also very patient with me.

She finishes the sketch.

"How does this look?" she asks me, showing the sketch.

"That is a very close resemblance," I tell her.

I cringe at the sketch.

"Thank you, Mike," Hillary says. "I know that wasn't easy, but you did well."

"I hope you guys find him," I reply.

"We will," I hear Ryan say.

"I'm going to take this down to the station right now," Hillary says.

Ryan thanks her, and she walks out of the room. I look at the ceiling again, and let out a sigh.

"Hey, you did great," Ryan reassures me.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Thanks for coming today."

"No problem. I knew this wouldn't be easy, so I wanted to offer my support."

I try to smile again. I don't know what my smile looks like, but it seems to have an effect on Ryan. He looks more at ease when I smile.

"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to," I tell Ryan.

"I want to," he sincerely says. "I took today off so I could be here with you."

"That means a lot, Ryan. Thanks."

The feel of exhaustion comes over me again. I want to stay awake and visit with Ryan, but I don't know how long I can keep my eyes open.

"You can take a nap if you're tired," he says. "I'm going to get lunch in the cafeteria, and then I'll be back up."

"Ok, I'll see you in a little bit," I say.

I close my eyes. I hear Ryan walking out of the room. Then, everything goes black.

I see Charlie, Louise, Roderick, and a few others that I do not recognize. Louise has a knife to my throat. She is about to slice my throat.

"Wake up!" I hear someone shouting. I come to my senses and see Ryan hovering over me.

I feel Ryan's firm hands on both of my shoulders.

"Calm down, buddy. It was just a dream," Ryan says in a soothing tone.

"She was going to slit my throat," I frantically tell Ryan.

"It was just a dream," he tells me. "No one is going to hurt you."

Once I realize that it was only a dream, I take a few deep breaths. I calm down enough for Ryan to take his hand off of my shoulders and sit back down.

"It felt so real," I tell Ryan.

"I know," he replies. "But it's over and done with. You are safe, now."

I still feel shaken. The tears continue to form in my eyes. I look at Ryan. I want him to embrace me. I don't think I should ask him. It would be too awkward.

"Hey, you're going to be alright," he reassures me.

Ryan stands up and moves closer to me. I take it he could sense what I wanted because he wraps his arms around my shoulders. I rest my head on his shoulder and take a deep breath. He has a gentle touch. He holds me for a while. I feel exhausted again. I close my eyes, falling asleep in the arms of my hero.

These Ryan/Mike moments give me goose bumps. I keep watching the end of "Welcome Home." Also, I'm running out of ideas. If you have any, feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading!


End file.
